“The Power of a ,” Numbers 6:22-27. Interim Pastor Bob Leroe, First Parish Congregational Church Wakefield, 19 Nov 2017

♫“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you; and give you peace, and give you peace, and give you peace forever. The Lord be gracious to you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you; and give you peace, and give you peace, and give you peace forever.” (Barocha, Numbers 6 / Michael Card)

Thanksgiving is this week, when we reflect on our . But a blessing is also something we give to others.

In Fiddler on the Roof, a man from the Jewish village of Anatevka asks the Rabbi, “Is there a blessing for the Czar?” The Rabbi responds: “A blessing for the Czar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Czar...far away from us!”

Blessings are part of daily life. Someone sneezes and we automatically say “Bless you” without thinking. It's just something we say...but a blessing is more than mere words. So what does it mean?

The Hebrew word for “blessing” is “Barocha,” which means “to bow the knee.” A blessing indicates that those we bless have value. The Bible says that we also bless God, which means we express our awe, wonder, reverence of Him. Blessings in the Bible were given at times of meeting and parting and at significant life events--birth, marriage, and death. A few weeks ago I blessed (and dedicated) Elijah Hulse. Jewish children receive a blessing at their bar or bat (equivalent of our Confirmation). We might bless a new house, a new job. I was given a blessing when I was ordained, when I went off to war, and when I concluded my ministry in Saugus.

A blessing is also a way of expressing thanks, as we do by saying grace. British author G.K. Chesterton noted: “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play, and grace before I open a book, and grace before painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, dancing and grace before I dip my pen in the ink.” I've learned from this to thank God before kayaking. We recognize God's bounty and we’re grateful. We can ask Him to bless all that we do...and if we can't, maybe it's something we shouldn't be doing!

Blessing is something God does to make us who we are, as in His promise to bless in Genesis 12, to make his name great. pronounced a blessing on his son in Genesis 27: “May God give you of heaven's dew and earth's riches.” When Jacob wrestled with the angel in Genesis 32, he cried out, “I will not let you go unless you bless me!” From ancient Egypt to the holocaust, to ISIS, Jews have lived with the threat of extermination, yet God has blessed and kept them and will continue to keep . Every nation that tried to destroy Israel has been defeated. God assured Abraham that He would bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse them.

1 The NT Greek word for “blessing” is where we get our word eulogy. It means “to speak well of” someone; to wish for them a fortunate life--for their material and spiritual prosperity. We're in need of a good word from others. I knew soldiers who received nothing but criticism, never a kindly word, even when they performed well. One soldier said to me, “Chaplain, getting praise is like getting paid.” At the close of worship, our is a blessing, a parting word that means more than dismissal. We end by expressing our desire that God will bless and keep those around us forever.

In Numbers 6, we find the blessing Moses instructed his brother to give Israel. It is the most quoted blessing in all Scripture. Aaron was the first High . When Jewish offered words of blessing, they would form their hands in the shape of the Hebrew letter , to represent the name “” (“Almighty God”). Jewish actor adapted this for his Vulcan blessing on Star Trek: “Live long and prosper.” Today a Jewish wish for God's best is often conveyed by the phrase “Mazel Tov.” It is both a congratulation and a blessing.

We say a blessing over our food, to acknowledge the Source of our provision. In so doing, we set our meal apart. Lunch is no longer ordinary, even if it's just a peanut butter sandwich! We may ask God to bless something we hope to do. In so doing, we're acknowledging His power and authority, and our reliance on Him.

Jews bless God for their Sabbath rest. They greet the Sabbath in their homes with the mother lighting the candles and offering this prayer: “Blessed are You, Lord God, Sovereign of the universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to light the candles of .”

The Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6 conveys God’s mercy, peace, and protection. This blessing enriches both the giver and receiver. God's face “shines” on us because He is our light and life. This blessing is that we might always walk in the light of God's love.

To wish God's “face” to shine upon someone is a way of saying, “May God look upon you with kindness and benevolence.” So “face” means “favor.” To turn one's face away is a sign of rejection. But there's no magic in a blessing; a blessing is not a “spell.” It is simply a way of conveying our hope for God's best, for someone's happiness and welfare.

This blessing asks that God be “gracious.” We don't have to compete for grace, earn it, or pay for it. We don't deserve it; if we did, it wouldn't be grace. Pope Francis had this to say about grace: “God’s only wish is to save His people, but so often we want to make the rules for our salvation. We may feel safe, but the truth is we are buying our salvation, instead of receiving the free gift that God gives us.” Considering our far-from-perfect lives, it’s remarkable that God wants to bless us at all...yet He does! He blesses us in spite of our faults.

The priestly blessing asks God to “keep” us. God will finish His work He has begun in us. As Christians, we understand that it is not our hold of Christ that saves us—it is Christ. We rely on Jesus to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves—to keep us. He

2 will not fail in this. He prayed to the Father in John 17: “Keep them in Thy Name...so that they may be one, even as we are one.” This is a prayer that will be answered! Furthermore, the Apostle Paul assures us, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians 5:9). May God “keep” us...He will!

The priestly blessing of Numbers 6 closes with a wish for peace. It's been said, “You can buy sleep in a drugstore, but only God can give you peace.” The peace spoken of in the Bible is more than the absence of war. It indicates happiness, satisfaction, wholeness, and the richness of a full life. Not the kind of peace the world gives. It is a peace that can never be shaken--no matter what is going on around us.

Alex Haley, the author of Roots, had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, “Why is that there?” Haley answered: “Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful, and begin to feel proud of myself, I look at that turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn’t get there on his own! He had help.” We need to be blessed…we can't make it on our own.

A blessing is a very personal thing. It is something we all can all do, and should be doing. It's been said that, “A blessing is an attitude toward all of life, moving beyond words” (Madeline L'Engle).

So when people ask how you're doing, never tell them, “I've been lucky.” Tell them, “I'm blessed.” We need to remember that we're here by the grace of God and that He is the Source of every blessing we have. May God's blessing shine on us and cause us to be a blessing to others. Be blessed—!

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Children’s Sermon on BLESSINGS

Q: Why do your parents bring you here to our Church and Sunday School?

They want the very best for you. They want you to be successful in life, to find goals, to be satisfied, fulfilled, happy, but especially to have faith—trust in God. They hope you will seek God’s will and follow His direction. They know that church will help you to be all God wants you to be. They want your lives to be blessed.

What is a blessing? A blessing is a wish for God’s very best. I’d like to give you all a blessing:

“May God richly bless you. May His word show you how to live, for your good and His glory. May our Lord guard and guide your steps; may He show you favor, and grant You His peace. May every day of your life be a wonderful gift of God’s grace…Amen.”

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